In the past, employment of geologists and some other geoscientists has been cyclical and largely affected by the price of oil and gas. When prices were low, oil and gas producers curtailed exploration activities and laid off geologists. When prices were up, companies had the funds and incentive to renew exploration efforts and hire geoscientists in large numbers.  In recent years, a growing worldwide demand for oil and gas and new exploration and recovery techniques—particularly in deep water and previously inaccessible sites—have returned some stability to the petroleum industry, with a few companies increasing their hiring of geoscientists. Growth in this area, though, will be limited due to increasing efficiencies in finding oil and gas. Geoscientists who speak a foreign language and who are willing to work abroad should enjoy the best opportunities.

    In the environmental field, the need for companies to comply with an increasing number of laws and regulations will contribute to the demand for geoscientists, especially hydrologists and engineering geologists. As the population increases and moves to more environmentally sensitive locations, geoscientists will be needed to assess building sites for potential geologic hazards and to address issues of pollution control and waste disposal. An expected increase in highway building and other infrastructure projects will be an additional source of jobs for engineering geologists.

    Jobs with the Federal and State governments and with organizations dependent on Federal funds for support will experience little growth over the next decade, unless budgets increase significantly. This lack of funding will affect mostly oceanographers and those geoscientists performing basic research.

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    Median annual earnings of geologists, geophysicists, and oceanographers were $53,890 in 1998. The middle 50 percent earned between $39,830 and $79,630 a year. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $30,950 and the highest 10 percent earned more than $101,390. Median annual earnings in the industries employing the largest number of geoscientists in 1997 were as follows.

    According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, beginning salary offers in 1999 for graduates with bachelor’s degrees in geology and the geological sciences averaged about $34,900 a year; graduates with a master’s degree averaged $44,700.

    In 1999, the Federal Government’s average salary for geologists in managerial, supervisory, and nonsupervisory positions was $64,400; for geophysicists, $72,500; for hydrologists, $58,900; and for oceanographers, $66,000.

    The petroleum, mineral, and mining industries offer higher salaries, but less job security, than other industries. These industries are vulnerable to recessions and changes in oil and gas prices, among other factors, and usually release workers when exploration and drilling slow down.

Taken from the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics